New major league soccer team excites Carolina fans
by Aiden Witkopf
With 74,479 fans in attendance at the first home game on March 5, the Charlotte Football Club packed Bank of America Stadium, breaking the record for most fans to attend an MLS match. Currently the team’s record is three wins, one draw, and six losses.
“There were chants, it was loud and intense,” Jake Schill (‘24) said.
Charlotte is becoming a hotspot for professional sports. The Queen City can now claim four pro sports teams: the Charlotte Hornets, the Carolina Panthers, and the Charlotte Checkers, a hockey team, and the Charlotte Football Club. The Charlotte FC is a professional soccer team participating in Major Soccer League (MLS).
Starting as an expansion team, the Charlotte FC was established on Dec. 17, 2019 by the Carolina Panthers owner David Temper. Currently 1-4, the top scorer is striker Karol Swiderski with 2 goals.
Soccer in North America hasn’t seen team pride like this before. Soccer in the Carolinas is a big step for the MLS, and it has brought publicity to the league.
“The game was electric. Never experienced anything like it in my life,” Daniel Mahmood (‘24) said.
Eye-popping the team colors of turquoise and black contrast each other and jerseys are being worn all over Queen City, bringing people together and creating a culture.
“It’s like a family,” Mahmood said.
